Membership of the Council is reserved for donors that have contributed CHF 3 million or more to the DREF in a calendar year. Members commit to a two-year tenure and meet twice a year.

Current member organizations and governments on the DREF Council are:

• Australian Government and Australian Red Cross
• Belgian Government and Belgian Red Cross
• Danish Government and Danish Red Cross
• European Union /European Commission (DG ECHO)
• French Government and French Red Cross
• German Government and German Red Cross
• Saudi Arabia Government and Saudi Red Crescent Authority
• Swedish Government and Swedish Red Cross
• Swiss Government and Swiss Red Cross
• Norwegian Government and Norwegian Red Cross
• The Netherlands Government and The Netherlands Red Cross
• UK Government and British Red Cross
• United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and American Red Cross

The DREF Council is co-hosted by the IFRC's Under Secretary General for Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization and Under Secretary General for National Society Development and Operations Coordination. They will facilitate critical discussions and build consensus between Council members, as well as taking part in high-profile visits to oversee DREF operations.